Winter draws on!

[2728red]

My jeep is going to be kept outside this winter - what precautions do I need to take to keep it 'warm'?? I need to get some anti-freeze to run through the cooling system. Anything else?? I guess a decent cover to protect the roof and body?

[techsec]

I presume you are laying it up for the winter.
Why?
We use ours all year round.

Anyway apart from the usual things like changing the cooling fluid to the right concentration of antifreeze and possibly changing the oil is to check and if needed top up the battery and make sure it is fully charged. Clean the top of the battery of any muck or corrosion and apply petroleum jelly to the terminals.
Clean and polish the bodywork and check the chassis for any rust.
Apply treatment like waxoyl if possible.
Check tyre pressures and if the vehicle is to be laid up for a while place it on stands so as to take the weight off the tyres. Also allows you to leave the handbrake off so no seized on brakes.

Use a good weather proof cover fastened down to stop the worst of the weather getting at the vehicle (if necessary).

I think that should help.

[IanA]

I've found that the plastic tarpaulins sold by B&Q (sorry Chris) and the like are not impervious for long. The plastic seems to come adrift from the fibre and starts to let water in. I've always had to use a polythene sheet underneath to be sure.

I can recommend the silver Tyvek covers sold by Halfrauds as "Top Cover" costing about £50. The trick is to get one to fit. I'm lucky in that their medium size one fits one of my tin tops perfectly. Not waterproof but dries out really quickly. No signs of abrasion on the "edges" of the car either and keeps it polished too due to the slight movement in the breeze.

I mean to trim/gather or otherwise tailor a small one to fit my Fury.

Word to the wise, whatever type of cover (or not- like my jeep, just a tonneau) you use, try to contrive to park on a slight slope so that any cover, tonneau or soft top drains and does not allow water to settle.

Cheers
Ian

>> Edited by IanA on Wednesday 6th October 20:35

[techsec]

Yes I agree with you Ian that's why I said a weather proof cover as I know from experience that the "tarps" such as from B&Q don't always do what they should.

[2728red]

Thanks for the help and info.!

Yes, I'm afraid I am laying it up for the winter because I still haven't finished it ready for it's first post-restoration MOT and I will not have time this year to do much more to it due to business comitments. It is started once a week and run up, and if it is really quiet I give it a quick run up the road and back to keep the brakes moving - just 1/4 mile or so. All of the brake pipes have been replaced and the chassis has been treated with hammorite - so fingers crossed to an MOT early next year and see you around the shows in 2005.